In The Bleak Midwinter
by Sunscorched
Summary: Lipstick on his collar told a tale on her.
1. Chapter 1

Title: In The Bleak Midwinter

Author: Sunscorched/Judyku

Email: Miss_.uk

Rating: R

Category: Romance/Hurt/Comfort

Content: Chloe/Oliver

Summary: Lipstick on his collar told a tale on her.

Warning: Contains sexual assault.

Disclaimer: I own nixies.

Distribution: This place, my place, the Chlollie LJ comm.

Notes: There are no words to express my gratitude for Strom and Solo for their help. Without it, this would never have been written. THANK YOU!

Oliver poked his head round the door, looked both ways until satisfied the coast was clear. He snuck inside on tip toes just to be extra certain his presence wouldn't be detected.

Breaking into high security buildings? Easy peesy. Steal jewels and top secret files? Did that yesterday. Zip his way across Metropolis? No sweat. Knock out seven CIA trained security guards? Yawn.

Hide presents from Chloe Sullivan? Panic.

He wrapped his arms around the bottom of his sweater to keep the newly delivered gifts from being discovered and oh so carefully inched his way across the apartment, hoping he'd make it to the safe.

Okay, so stashing Christmas presents in a secret safe bought for this purpose was a tad extreme, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Okay, so buying a safe to hide presents was slightly more than extreme, but again. Desperate times and measures.

Christ, he was so close to it he could smell the solid lead and feel the buttons. Just a few more steps and voila. Homerun was hit.

"She'll never know..." Oliver quickly punched in the number, then pressed his left thumb on the fingerprint recognition pad, closely followed by putting his eye near the retina scanner, and finally was the breathalyser.

Maybe he had gone overboard on the security designs, but he found it kinda cool. Made him feel like James Bond.

Brown eyes peered over first his left shoulder, then his right. "Name's Queen," he mimicked Connery. "Oliver Queen, lishunsh to kill."

Oh, he could so be James Bond.

As quickly and as quietly as he'd break in to somewhere he shouldn't, he snatched the three parcels from under his sweater and stuff them haphazardly into the safe. He only breathed a sigh of relief after it was firmly shut and he was standing innocently on the other side of the room, feeling mightily proud of himself for a job well done.

There. All presents were now well and truly away from prying eyes. "This calls for a beer," he said to himself, still smiling smugly. "Chloe always rewards me with a beer after a tough job. Wouldn't be fair to break tradition..."

Oliver paused on his way to the fridge. "Damn," he breathed. The job wasn't over until the fat lady sang. Or in this case, Chloe was out of the house so he could wrap.

His fingers tap-tap-tapped against his thigh as he went over ways to get Chloe out of the house for a few hours.

What could make a woman leave the house without rousing her suspicions?

"Hmm..." Oliver pursed his lips. He'd give her his credit card and tell her to go shopping, but he'd scream if he saw one more novelty gadget.

Like that damn toaster that also boiled eggs... Okay, so that was pretty damn handy, but the ninja cookie cutters were... Okay, they were pretty awesome, too, but a Sarah Palin who cracked nuts with her thighs? Not awesome.

No matter how much he tried to hide it, it would always end up right back on the kitchen counter. The damn thing was gonna haunt him for the rest of his life.

Damn woman had so many pairs of shoes, it was unreal. Most of his previous women wanted the very best designer labels, but Chloe? Oh no. Not Chloe. She bought her shoes from fetish shops. "But Ollie," he mimicked. "They have more choice and they're cheaper than Prada."

At least the credit card statement was discreet.

"A-ha!" Oliver snapped his fingers and the light bulb above his head sparked to life. "What appeals to girls more than other girls? Nothing! That's what. Nothing!"

Now who, apart from Lois, shared a love of all things fetish footwear?

Zatanna. That's who.

"Man, I am _so_ good!" He nodded smugly to himself, and then started whispering. "Zatanna... Zatanna... Yoohoo... Come to me, oh little magic one," and waved his hands over an imaginary cauldron.

"Little magic one? Seriously, Oliver."

Why couldn't he just pick up a phone like everyone else? He always made her seem like Houdini.

Zatanna shook her head. "So what can I do for you, oh tall rich one?" What the hell did Chloe see in him?

Oliver beamed at her. "You can get Chloe outta the house for a couple of hours."

Perfectly shaped eyebrow arched high. "Excuse me?"

Brown eyes rolled. "Look, I need her out of the house so I can wrap her presents."

"Only if you tell me what you got her."

He opened his mouth to reveal his secrets, but stopped short and wagged a finger at her. "You almost had me there, Zee. Tell you what I got her. Like I'd fall for that one."

Zatanna frowned in confusion. "What one?"

Oliver smiled condescendingly at her. "Zee, Zee, Zee," he sighed indulgently. "You know what one. I tell you what Chloe has for Christmas, you tell Chloe what she has for Christmas, and there'll be fake surprise."

"As it happens, that wasn't my plan."

Oliver's brows met as he stared at her suspiciously. "It wasn't?"

Zatanna shook her head.

Huh.

He grinned like a six year old and bounced on the spot, pleased he could finally tell someone. "I got her these slippers..."

"Slippers?" She asked in surprise. "You bought your girlfriend slippers?"

Was he an idiot?

"Of course I got her slippers!" He defended. "Her and Lois. Matching bunny ones, too!"

Zatanna wondered if there was a way she could travel back in time so she could watch Oliver buy bunny slippers. "Okay, so we've covered the slippers. Did you get her anything exciting? Like a dressing gown and flannel pyjamas?"

"She likes her dressing gowns..." Oliver began, and then shook his head. "No, I didn't get her a dressing gown and flannel pyjamas. She'd kill me if I got her flannel. She prefers cotton..."

She gave him a round of applause. "Chloe's really living the life of a Queen. You have anything exciting?"

"Your idea of exciting and Chloe's idea of exciting are two very different things."

Zatanna smirked in a way that told he really did not want to know the meaning of. "True," she half purred while violet eyes gleamed. "But we're both still women, Oliver. Slippers just won't make the grade."

Her smirk turned downright evil as she moved her mouth close to her shoulder. "Wouldn't you say, Chloe?"

"What?" Oliver yelled in outrage.

She laughed. "Oh relax, you fool. I'm just kidding."

"I don't believe you..." He stared at the spot she spoke too until satisfied there was no communication device. "That wasn't funny."

"It really was."

"What was and wasn't funny?" Chloe asked as she closed the door behind her, only to pause at the sight of a grinning magician and frowning billionaire. "Let's pretend I didn't ask. What's going on?"

Oliver hoped she hadn't heard anything. "Zee's swung by to host a ladies Christmas night out. Haven't you, Zee?"

Zatanna made no secret of rolling her eyes, a move that gave Chloe a working knowledge of what was going on. "Yes, Chloe. Are you available for a few hours?"

"Well, I was hoping for a night with Ollie, but if you don't mind taking a rain check?"

He inwardly grinned. "Course I don't," he said, hoping he wasn't coming off as too eager. "Why don't you see if Courtney wants to go, too? I can call to your favourite restaurant, pull some strings, and get you gals the best table in the house..."

Chloe shared a look with Zatanna which clearly said _aren't we lucky girls?_ She switched her attention back to Oliver. "That's very generous of you. Thank you."

The dry humour sailed right over his head and he shrugged away her gratitude. "You don't have to say thanks, Tower. You know I like treating you."

Quick to stop anything that would burn her eyes, Zatanna spoke up. "Great," she exclaimed. "Chloe and I will go make ourselves up, you pull your strings."

Oliver watched the girls go into the bedroom before rubbing his hands together gleefully. "I am so the man."

**XOXOXO**

This, he decided, was the epitome of Christmas.

Mr. Crosby in the background, room lit by pretty little tree lights, good bottle of scotch, his most comfy pair of sweats, favourite t-shirt, presents laid out in front of him, ready and waiting to be wrapped...

Oliver took a sip of the 30 year old whisky, relished in the warmth that set up camp in his stomach. "Ahhhh," he sighed. "Time to get started."

He went with something easy first. A nice, little exercise before he worked his way up to the hard stuff. One 32 gigabyte iPod Touch, complete with games and filled with every damn song she owned.

Oliver was about to pick up the wrapping paper when a buzz indicated he had a visitor. "Of course," he muttered to himself as he stood up. Peace and quiet was too much to ask for this close to Christmas.

"Hello?"

"Ya gonna lemme up or lemme freeze to death out here?"

His brows rose in shock. "Dinah?"

**XOXOXO**

"Of course it is," she replied, exasperated. "What? Didn't your magic screen show you or doesn't work for my presence?"

"_I didn't look at the intercom screen, Dinah, and you know fine well Chloe doesn't work that way_."

He sounded so surprised that she just couldn't help herself. "Who else would it be?" She asked with a roll of her eyes. "Zatanna? Victor? AC?" She couldn't bring herself to say Chloe because his precious little sidekick probably had her own precious little code that let her in.

Of course she did, Dinah mentally smacked herself as Ollie replied. "_They're doing me a favour_."

Oliver and Sully now lived together and ha, what a nice descriptive for Chloe.

Sully.

She sullied everything.

Zatanna wasn't so bad for a second rate magician who always aces up her sleeves, but Stargirl was just that. A girl who had no idea about life at all. While everyone blamed Hall, she knew different.

If Stargirl wanted a life, she'd damn well go and have one, but did she? No. The girl knew where her bread was buttered.

None of them had a damn clue what it was like.

"_You there, Dinah_?"

"Yeah, would peace and quiet be their favour?"

Oliver laughed at the sarcasm. "_I wanted Chloe out of the apartment for a few hours and they helped me do it. On my dime, of course_."

He sounded so damn happy, it was sickening.

"Is that so?"

"_Yeah, I've got stuff I don't want Tower to see if you know what I mean_."

Now wasn't that interesting?

Dinah smirked. "And what would that be, Queen?"

"_Presents_," he said. "_What else_?"

Her lips tightened into a thin line.

He was paying for everyone to take Sully out just so he could wrap her stupid presents. Everyone but her. "I don't know, Oliver," she snapped. "Maybe you're up there reading emails."

She heard him sigh. "_Those were jokes sent between platonic friends, Dinah_."

Sully had worked her magic on Ollie's sense of humour and she rolled her eyes as she wondered who to feel sorry for. Oliver for being a pussy or Chloe for being Chloe.

She needed to take a different route, so she went with what he obviously loved.

A pathetic little girl who needed a man's help to get her through the cold winter night.

"Sorry," Dinah made sure her teeth chattered. "I'm freezing like a damn popsicle out here. Lemme in so I can warm up."

And warm up she would.

"_Come on up, Dinah_."

He sounded so enthusiastic.

Maybe he should be reminded of who he was talking to and maybe he'd be more enthusiastic before the night was out. "On my way. Canary out."

**XOXOXO**

Oliver pressed the buzzer until he heard the click that said she'd entered, then looked at the zillion presents and the scotch.

Maybe help and company wouldn't be so bad.

He shrugged. "Wonder what Chloe's doing now?"

**XOXOXO**

"Oh please," Chloe gulped down the last of her wine before continuing. "I know Ollie's bought me slippers."

"Aww," Courtney sighed as she sipped her own glass. "I wish I had a guy to buy me slippers."

Zatanna rolled her eyes. "I just wish I had a guy."

"Bruce still blind?" Chloe asked sympathetically.

"As a bat," the magician replied with a sigh

Courtney giggled. "As a bat. That's funny."

The two older women stared at the young blonde. "Any more for you and you'll be seeing stars."

Courtney blushed as she tried and failed not to giggle. "I get that!"

Zatanna quickly snatched the glass out of her hand and just as quickly swallowed what was left, then looked at the other blonde. "We have a lot of work to do with this one, I'm afraid."

Chloe grinned. "Seems so."

"It's not my fault I'm a light weight," Courtney defended. "Carter watches me like..." she paused for thought. "A hawk."

"Oh, that's bad," Chloe stared at the girl.

"I agree," Zee nodded.

"What? So you guys can make bad jokes, but not me?"

"Yep."

"Yes."

She pulled a face at them. "So, who knows what they're getting from the boys?"

"If they've gone shopping, you mean?" Chloe asked and refilled her glass right to the brim.

"Carter did all of his two months ago," Courtney confessed.

"Carter's different," Zatanna stated. "He has common sense."

"And boring," Chloe added, then, "What? Where's the fun in that?"

"Says the girl who has slippers."

"Hey, I like my slippers, thank you very much. They're very comfy and stop Ollie from whining about my cold feet."

Courtney and Zatanna shared a look. "You're totally cock whipped, Sullivan."

"Excuse me, ladies?" A waiter approached them with a bottle of champagne. "This was bought for you."

All three women went silent until Chloe spoke. "We don't accept gifts from strangers." It was a very dumb and dangerous thing to do in their line of work.

"Aww, Licious, we're hurt..." Came the familiar, albeit drunken voice from behind their table.

"Bart!" Courtney perked up at the sight of him.

Zatanna didn't bat an eye. "Like she said, we don't take gifts from strangers."

The younger girl shrugged. "If you two don't want it, I'll have..."

Chloe was quick to stop it. "Err, no you won't," and grabbed the bubbly. "Thank you, boys, we appreciate it."

A.C popped his head over the chair back. "You ladies are welcome. Wanna come join us?"

"Yeah," Bart agreed and looked to the waiter. "Can we push the tables together?"

"It would help the eyes of this bat if I could see who I've been too blind to see."

Chloe and Courtney laughed out loud at the look on Zatanna's face.

The magician failed by trying to answer her own wishes. "I wish I wasn't here right now."

"Shame," Bruce Wayne said. "I was looking forward to your company, but if you want me to wish you away..."

Everyone looked to Zatanna, who simply looked at Courtney and smiled vindictively. "You might want to wish Courtney away after what's about to pass my lips..."

The girl in question blushed beet red. "You promised," she said, her eyes wide.

Bart grinned and puffed up his chest. "You can sit next to me, Blue Eyes," then glanced at Chloe. "I think we can consider this our break-up, Licious."

"Oh, my heart breaks," Chloe dramatically clutched her heart and held her pose until everyone laughed, then dropped it and laughed herself.

The waiter sighed.

One of these days this group of people would find a new favourite restaurant to rearrange.

**XOXOXO**

Oliver flopped back against the couch and held his full stomach with both hands. "I gotta tell ya, Di," he stated. "Beer is the drink with which to wash down a super meat feast pizza."

Dinah reached over to grab her own beer before she sat back, one leg curled under her and arm over the sofa back. "Mmmm... Was good, wasn't it?"

He took a large gulp of his and stared up at the ceiling, a tipsy little smile on his face. "This is gonna be a great Christmas, ya know?"

"Is it?" She asked lightly, her fingers so close to his hair; the short strands tickled her skin. "Why is that?"

"Just is," he mumbled, still staring at the ceiling with smile firmly in place. "It's like Chloe and me, ya know? It's our first everything this year and this is the big one. It's a big deal."

"How romantic," Dinah stated and shifted a little closer, made no secret how her body reacted to him. After all, he wasn't the kinda guy who'd be attracted to a shy and retiring wallflower.

_Or just tiring_, she thought and smirked. "I'd imagine after living together and working together, you'd be sick of it by now."

Oliver shrugged. "It _is_ hard sometimes, but both of us still have our own space and we respect that."

"And... Is tonight your space?" She asked, because that's how it seemed. He was here all alone while that mousy woman was at Le Chez Renoir with the rest of the team. Out of sight, out of mind and all that jazz.

"No, tonight is I get to wrap presents before Chloe gets to see them night." He grinned again at his victory over the snoopy one and decided he needed to find a Snoopy plushie just for fun.

"Of course," Dinah couldn't stop the snap to her tone. "Chloe. Sweet, little Chloe." She was here and it was still all about that bitch. The bitch who hid behind a computer and still got praise for being a hero when she was nothing of the sort.

Oliver nearly spat his beer out at her words. She obviously didn't know Chloe if that's what she thought. Not that she ever made an effort to get to know Chloe. "Sweet is not something I'd use to describe Chloe. She's anything but sweet, Dinah. Believe me."

"Of course she isn't," she mocked. "So tell me, _Mr. Sullivan_, what else is so special about Watchtower?" Sure, she was good with tech, but so was Victor. As far as she was concerned, Chloe freaking Sullivan wasn't needed.

He looked to his fellow team mate and frowned. "What do you mean? What's so special about her?"

"What I mean is just that," Dinah sat up, a frown of her own on her face. "What's so special about her that's got you lining up for a white picket fence and two point four children?"

"Whoa, whoa," Oliver copied her and sat up. "We've only just moved in together."

"But that's what you're hoping for, isn't it?"

"Yes, eventually."

"Why her, Oliver? Why not me?"

"What is your problem with Chloe, Dinah?"

She laughed a laugh that was bitter and angry. "What isn't my problem with Chloe," she spat the name out like she had a mouthful of poison. That's what Chloe was. Poison. She did nothing that they couldn't do themselves and still everyone loved her.

Oliver refused to ruin a perfectly good night be getting into it with her. "Look, we've both had a bit to drink and it's getting late and I've still got presents to wrap, so..."

Dinah rose from the sofa and faced the man, placed her hands on his chest, her expression showed how much she enjoyed what she felt. "C'mon, Ollie. Let's just have this night, see what happens..."

He pushed her hands away. "No, Dinah. I'm with Chloe."

"It's just one night," she smiled coyly. "I won't tell if you won't..."

Oliver felt his body tense and forced himself to relax. It was Christmas, he was not gonna ruin it by losing his temper. "I want you to leave now."

How dare he look at her like she something on the bottom of his shoe? Like she was nothing more than dog shit? Anger whirled in her stomach. "What the hell is wrong with you, Queen?"

"Get out, Dinah. Now." He wouldn't tell her twice.

Her eyes narrowed as a loud laugh escaped her throat. "You threatening me?"

"No, I'm not threatening you. I'm telling you."

This time, when hands landed on his chest, they pushed and they pushed hard, and he landed heavily on the sofa. Oliver grabbed her wrists and squeezed tight enough to make her hiss. "Get off me," and he pushed back while trying not to hit her.

He'd never hit a woman in his life and wasn't about to start now, no matter how strong the urge.

Dinah fought right back, struggling to keep him there until she pinned his thighs with hers, straddling him. She had to make him see there were better women than Chloe damn Sullivan. Had to make him see _her_. "You know how good it could be."

He increased the pressure and oh God, her voice was loud when she yelled. "Get the hell off me, Dinah. I swear to hell..." Shit, he forgot how strong she could be.

Oliver twisted his face to the side to avoid her mouth touching his, cringed when he felt lipstick on his cheek. "I love it rough. Bet she doesn't. Bet little miss priss is all missionary and sweet little moans. You need a woman, Ollie. I can give you that."

He tried shoving her off him first, tried twisting her arms up behind her back, tried bucking her off, but the contact made her moan and made him sick.

Disgust ran through his veins as he kept trying, but she just wouldn't let go.

Damn, damn. If Chloe came home now, hell knows what she'd think. Hell knows what she'd _do_.

"I don't want you. I want Chloe, I love Chloe."

She wanted a man, she got him, and she wanted Oliver Queen. "Will you stop talking about _her_? Why do you always have to talk about _her_?" Chloe was nothing compared to her.

She was moving again and was getting off him. "Just go, Dinah. Please just go."

"Be so good, Ollie..." Dinah shifted down his body and Oliver took the chance. He pushed her off of him and onto the floor, her arms knocked Chloe's presents to the floor. She smiled at the thought of destroying perfect Chloe's perfect little Christmas, so she slammed her hand down on the closest present to her.

She pretended the crunching noise was the sound of an ugly nose being broken.

Oliver cursed at the sight of the smashed ipod and grabbed her by the back of her neck, throwing her away from the rest of the presents before she could get a chance. "I said get out," and had to cover his ears when she screamed at him.

That freaking hurt

And so did a fist.

Wow.

Hardwood flooring may look good, but it made for one helluva trippy landing. Gave a pretty damn nasty headache that made the world go outta focus and blurry round the edges.

He was surprised the apartment could house two seven foot Christmas trees... Was it two seven foot Christmas trees or was it just one with his head playing tricks on him?

The tree had looked gorgeous when they'd finished decorating it. All pretty with tinsel and fairy lights and baubles and things they'd made in grade school. Make that gorgeous and messy. For two people, they sure had a lot of stuff to use and a seven foot tree hadn't seemed big enough.

Wasn't looking so gorgeous now, but that could also be his head playing tricks again. Scratch that. It was his head playing tricks; he knew it was. How else could the blurry fuzz be explained?

Though he knew it wasn't his head playing tricks when it came to the broken present.

The iPod.

Chloe's first present, which he bought on the first of December and the first song added was her first favourite song, Skunk Anansie's Weak.

The first meant a lot of things to Chloe and himself. First Christmas together, first year together, first time living together, first time he felt like a proper man, first time she had someone to have firsts with.

Did Chloe think as much of firsts as he did?

He couldn't say for sure, but he hoped so. He truly hoped she understood the meaning of firsts and maybe he shouldn't have chose 1,1,1,1 for the safe's code. Far too easy for someone like Chloe to figure out.

What he could say for sure was comfy sweats were easy to pull down.

Oliver grabbed the elastic waistband and tried to stop her from pulling his pants down. "Don't. Not right. S'not right. Haveta stop," but she didn't and his head hurt when he tried move away.

"You invited me up, Archer." If the nickname worked for _her_, then she'd have him no trouble.

"No, not Archer. Not to you. Only Archer to Chloe."

Nails dug into the skin on his stomach. "Stop talking about _her_," and the hardwood floor was cold on his ass.

He wanted to cry at the feel of lips moving up and down on him and God, the lipstick was awful.

Too thick, greasy in a way that left a covering on his cock and it wasn't like Chloe's at all. Chloe liked balm. Nice, fruity lipbalm that made her pout taste just like cherries. This wasn't lipbalm, this was sick and disgusting.

Lips didn't feel like the right ones either, yet they were on him and it wasn't good the way they were sucking. Much too fast, almost desperate, too eager, aggressive and not like Chloe at all.

Chloe made him feel like a treat. Some delicious treat that she took her time with. Soft, teasing little licks from a smartass tongue that told him she knew what he liked and how he liked it. Always knew when he was ready for more, but she enjoyed her treat and ignored him when he tried to keep from coming in her mouth.

Oliver felt it and there was nothing he could do bar turn his head to the side as he heaved.

Usually he didn't like throwing up, but it got the lips to leave him alone and he blessed the cool air that replaced the heat of a mouth.

"God," she snapped, voice cut by harsh and angry breathing. "You're pathetic. So hung up on that frump, you can't even get it up."

Good, good. Didn't get hard. Getting hard woulda been a bad thing.

"I try to show you what you're missing and you're still thinking of her. I repeat, you're pathetic."

PVC slid against him as she got up and all he could think about was why women liked wearing that. Sure he wore leather, but his was a properly fitted outfit and good, footsteps were going away from him.

Oliver didn't know how long he lay there, his fingers still holding to the waistband of his pants. "Didn't get hard, didn't get hard, didn't get hard... Good, good. S'not cheating. I didn't cheat."

He slowly sat up and his stomach played elevator and God.

Chloe's presents still weren't wrapped and there was lipstick smeared on his stomach and she was due home any minute.

"Get up," he snapped at himself. "Get up and sort this mess before Chloe comes home."

Oliver rubbed his forehead and hoped the ache in his head would go away, but it didn't. Damn concussions, he thought and went to stand, his hand holding his pants up while he fought the urge to vomit.

He rubbed the back of his head in the hope it would ease the ache, but when he saw the blood on his fingers, he knew it wouldn't. He had a concussion that was here to stay.

"Shit," he used the couch to help himself to his feet and pulled his pants up, only just managing to resist heaving again. He was so damn dizzy, it was unreal.

Chloe, he decided.

Chloe would be home soon and he'd be okay.

**XOXOXO**

"Oooh..." she stumbled a little as the elevator started its journey up to their penthouse, soothed her frazzled nerves with a drink.

So Zatanna was gonna be pissed when she realised the bubbly had gone walkies, but never mind. Ollie would be impressed with her thieving skills. Of course she'd have to embellish a tad as the facts weren't exciting.

Was waiting until someone looked away and stealing their booze exciting?

"Hmm..." Chloe didn't have time to fall into deep thought as her ride stopped and doors opened. "Santa baby..." she sang in what she hoped was a sulty, seductive tone. "

"You know, Santa was green before Coka Cola turned him red? Well, they made one of the most famous illustrations of Santa wearing red and white in 1913."

She comically hopped on her left foot as she slipped off her right shoe while she gripped her prize. "Honey, I'm home and got us a freebie. If you can keep a secret, I'll tell you I stole it."

No answer.

Huh.

Chloe walked further into the apartment, bottle in one hand and a shoe in the other. "You hear that, Ollie? I'm a petty thief and it's all your fault. Bad influence is what you are. Bad!"

Still nothing.

She frowned. Was he home? "Oliver?"

She hurried through to the lounge area where she found him kneeling on the floor in front of the coffee table, his lips set in thin line and brow furrowed. He didn't appear to know she was there.

Chloe looked closer in case he had on his headphones, but there was no sight of his headphones anywhere. "Ollie? You okay? Ollie?"

Brown eyes were glazed when they finally looked her way.

Concern started to bubble in her stomach as she stepped a little closer. Was that blood on his head... And lipstick on his cheek?

She watched him swallow once, twice, three times before he spoke. "I'm not done yet," his voice a little slurred. "Sorry. I, err... There was a little accident."

Chloe had been around concussions enough to recognise one from a mile away. "Oh, honey," she made a point to keep her tone soft and easy lest she made his head ache and hurried to kneel down next to him.

Oliver gave her a brief smile and reached up, his thumb traced her lips and palm cupped her cheek. "Better with you," he said, his smile a little bigger.

She noticed his wrists looked red, like he'd been tied up or held down, and there were small scratches on his forearms. She said nothing about that or the lipstick on his cheek. A lipstick she would never wear.

He sighed when she returned his gesture and took the opportunity to give the floor a once over, but saw no sign of blood anywhere. "Did you fall over?"

Then wished she hadn't asked.

Brown eyes darkend and that sweet little smile of his faltered. Not a lot, but enough to let her know there was more to it than a simple fall and possible trap under some mistletoe. "I..."

Oliver tensed when Chloe ran her fingers over the scratches on his arm, looked away when she touched his face, closed his eyes when she tried to show the lipstick on her thumb. "What happened, baby?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, Sidekick. Nothing cos I didn't get erect and I didn't ejaculate," and then wished he hadn't said something so damn stupid.

The green eyes he loved were now full of confusion and he just knew she was wondering what the hell had happened while she'd been out. She was supposed to come home, see the presents, yell at him for spending a dumb amount of money on her, then thank him profusely for being such a kind and thoughtful boyfriend.

Wasn't happening now because it was clear to him that her thoughts were about the lipstick on his cheek and the scratches on his arms.

God, what if she thought he'd cheated on her?

"I didn't cheat," Oliver forced himself to look at her. "I didn't, Chloe. I swear. I didn't get hard and I didn't ejaculate. It isn't cheating."

She'd known him long enough to know when something was wrong and there was something very, very wrong.

Quick to stop the panic that began to flash in his big brown eyes, Chloe shushed him. "Hey, hey. I know you wouldn't cheat, okay? I know that, Ollie. Can you tell me what..."

"Dinah," and at the mere mention of her name, anger made his chest tighten and his hands formed fists; fists that drew his attention to red marks round his wrists. "Look," he hissed. "Look what she did to me."

She watched, heart in her mouth, as he lifted his shirt and showed her the marks on his stomach. They weren't done with pleasure in mind, that was for sure. They were red raw and looked so damn sore, she wanted to kiss them and make them better.

"Oh, Oliver," Chloe said, her eyes started to heat up as she continued to look.

When her gaze rose to his face, she was taken aback by the expression of sheer hatred and she knew then there was more than what he was telling.

Oliver stood and lowered his pants, knew by the sharp intake of breath that she saw what he didn't want to see.

Oh.

Oh _God_.

The lipstick smeared all over his penis made Chloe sick to her stomach and she to fight to keep the bile from rising. She covered her mouth to muffle the cry that threatened to escape.

"I told her no, Sidekick," Oliver's breath started to come in short, harsh gasps. "I told her no and I meant no."

It wasn't hard to see he was in shock.

Chloe was on her feet in seconds and arms around his chest just in time to keep him from stumbling. She helped him pull his pants up before trying to get him to sit down on the sofa.

He shook his head. "Not on there. Please, Chlo. Not on there."

Oh, Dinah so hadn't...

"Okay, Ollie," she rubbed his shoulders in what she hoped was a soothing manner. "Not on the sofa."

His body physically sagged against hers in relief and buried his face in her neck. "Thank you," Oliver murmured, relishing in the soft raspberry fragrance that drove away the memory of sickly sweet perfume.

"Ollie, I need you to look at me, okay? Can you do that for me, baby?" She wanted to cry when he nodded and did as asked without a snappy reply.

He blinked back tears of his own when he saw nothing but compassion on her face. "I didn't..."

"I know, I know." God, she knew he hadn't wanted that to happen. "Tell me what I can do, Ollie."

It took him a minute or two to respond. "I want it washed off, but..." he couldn't even look at it, let alone touch it.

Chloe nodded her understanding.

She stroked his jaw softly, so unlike her usual touches and his gratitude shone clear in his brown eyes. "How about a nice hot bath, huh? You n me? We can have my booty."

That got a hint of a smile. "Bubbles, too?"

"We can use my good stuff."

"The Lush?" His surprise made her grin and that sight was exactly what he needed to make the world seem good again.

"Yes, Archer..." The second the nickname was out of her mouth was the second a furious gleam made those eyes of his darken.

_Oh Dinah_, Chloe thought, _you are so dead_.

**XOXOXO**

Oliver stood in their bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror and counting the few red lines that marred his neck. He looked like Oliver, sounded like Oliver, but didn't feel like Oliver. It was easy to say how he felt, yet the words seemed to stick in his throat, almost as if they didn't _want_ to be said.

He sighed and went to pick up the warm wet cloth, but a hand over his stopped his intentions.

"Wait till we get in the tub, handsome," she said and he wondered how she could still find him handsome.

Like always, she read his mind.

"Because you're pretty," Chloe stated with a smile and leaned over to turn off the tap and check the water temperature. "Perfect," she breathed. "Now all it needs is us to give it purpose."

Oliver yet again found it in him to crack another smile. "Pretty, huh? Why is that?"

She gave a shrug, a cheeky little shine lit up her green eyes as she looked him over. "It's the billions," she decided. "Definitely the billions."

He shot her look that said yeah, right.

"What?" Chloe defended defiantly. "Money needs to have its uses in life."

Like the hiring of an ex SAS assassin.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I don't suppose the buying of food and clothing or the paying of bills count."

"Of course not."

"How silly of me to think so."

Chloe beamed at him. "Silly, yes, but very practical thinking and that's why you're pretty."

If he'd thought practically earlier, he would never have invited _her_ up.

Seeing his humour dim, "It wasn't your fault, Ollie. You didn't deserve this. Nobody deserves this."

Oliver could bearly look at her. "I invited her up, we had drinks and pizza..."

"How many times have you had pizza and drinks with Courtney or Lois or Zee, huh? Did they do this?" Sure, Zatanna and Lois would have flirted with him flirting back, but that's where it would have ended.

This time it was Chloe who shook her head. "She took advantage of you, Oliver. Not your fault." Dinah had done a helluva lot more than take advantage, but she didn't think he could handle her saying what had really happened.

Just like her, he knew what she was thinking.

"You can say it, Chloe," Oliver sighed. "No point in hiding the fact I was assaulted."

Chloe's face hardened. "In your apartment. She came in and she hurt you, Ollie. Not the other way around, because you're not that guy. Though I wish you were."

His lips quirked up a tad. "No you don't."

"Yes I do," she paused long enough to rub the bridge of her nose. "No, I don't. Hitting back is the worst thing you could have done. Even if she deserved it."

"Hey, hey," Oliver pulled her tight, used a bit of force to keep her from moving away. "Stop that, you hear me Chloe? I'm also partly to blame. Remember the emails?"

Chloe nodded.

"She's been thinking since then there would be a chance and I... I didn't tell her there wasn't and when she saw you guys out tonight, she just thought..."

She snapped. "Thought what? That she could come into my home, attack my boyfriend, and be blameless? Reverse the situation, Ollie. What if Bart decided all our years of flirting and platonic banter was a green light?"

Chloe knew her point had been made when Oliver's arms tightened round her a little too much. "She had no right, no matter what you think and I won't stand for you taking this on yourself, alright?"

No answer.

"Alright?"

His voice was quiet and laced with gratitude. "Alright. No more blaming me," and he felt her smile against his chest.

"That's my Arrow," she said, still smiling. "We better get in that tub before the water gets cold and the bubbles melt."

Oliver let her go and removed his shirt, ready to throw it on the floor when, "Laundry hamper is right outside," and he sighed.

"Yep, your bachelor days are over... And don't pull that face at me."

He pulled the face anyway, starting to feel like a weight was being lifted from his shoulders. Until it came to taking his pants off and then he felt like a wuss. "Chloe..."

"Yes... Oh..." The smile on her face wasn't false, but small and sweet and he wanted to kiss it. Especially when it swiftly turned to one he easily recognised.

Curled higher at one corner, a little lick and quick nibble of her lower lip. His gaze went from her mouth to her chest and yup, perky breasts now sported two taut nipples.

Oliver had to look away so he didn't laugh while she tried to hide her flustered reaction.

_What kind of person am I_? Chloe demanded of herself as she pretended to fiddle with a bath bomb. _My boyfriend gets assaulted and I get hot? I should be locked up_.

He ran a hand down his face and the attempt to wipe away his grin failed when she fanned two blushing cheeks. "You okay, Sidekick?"

"What?" She blinked up at him. "Oh, uh. Yeah. Sure. Let's get these pants off, shall we?"

Oliver coughed to hide his amusement. "Bathing would be easier without em."

Chloe nodded to herself. "Yes, it would."

Okay.

She swallowed when her fingers touched the waist band of his sweat and eased them down over his hips, then his thighs and she just couldn't help herself. She leaned forward and pressed one itty bitty smooch to his abdomen.

Oliver sucked in a breath, then a laughed out loud when his cock flexed in response.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Men," she said with a mock sigh. "C'mon then, you. Into that tub and let's get this crap off."

He eased into the tub and laid back, letting the hot water work its magic on the tension. He closed his eyes. "Oh, baby," he moaned. "Remind me to..."

"Leave me some room?"

Oliver opened an eye to see her pouting. "Plenty of room right here," and slapped the water.

How nice of him.

Chloe stepped in and sat slowly to adjust to the temperature, then relaxed in much the same way as he had. "Oh, this is good. My ideas are good."

He gave a lazy grin, "They really are."

The conversation drifted into a silence that was halfway between comfortable and uncomfortable, and it was clear it was time.

"So," Chloe offered him a flash of a smile. "Do you want me to..."

Oliver sighed and gave a brief nod. "Please," then stopped her before she reached for the body wash. "Thank you for this, Chloe. Really."

She shook her head. "You don't need to thank me, Ollie."

He fell silent for a moment. "You're going after her, aren't you?"

"Oh yes."

He nodded. "Thank you. Again."

Chloe's smile chilled him to the bone. "My pleasure."


	2. Chapter 2

He reached for the alarm clock and shut it off before it sounded out.

"Damn," Oliver sighed as he rolled onto his back, eyes blinking rapidly and brain slowly joining the waking world. He rubbed a hand down his face and winced when stubble grazed his fingers.

Why did everything seem to make his head hurt?

The tiny amount of light that filtered through the curtains hurt his eyes, which made his head ache, which made moving impossible cos it just damn _hurt_.

He squeezed the bridge of his nose and wondered if enough time had passed before his next dose of pain killers were due. A quick glance at the clock told him there were another two hours before he could get the pounding to stop for a while.

Oliver let out a sigh and knew he should get up, but he couldn't seem to dredge up the energy. It took less than two seconds for him to make the decision to stay right where he was until he couldn't stand it anymore.

God, one damn incident and he turned into a lazy bastard.

_Get up, jackass_, he thought as he gripped his hair. _Get up, get up_.

Carefully, he eased his body until he sat on the edge of the bed and tried to inject life into himself. Sadly all his efforts were for nothing and he simply stayed there, head in hands and breathing deeply.

Two warm little hands slid up his back and over his shoulders until two arms were completely wrapped around him with a cheek in the crook of his neck. "Hey," and Oliver turned his face into hers.

"Hey."

"How's your head?" She asked, continuously rubbing his chest.

Which one, Oliver wanted to ask spitefully, but refrained. It wasn't Chloe he was pissed off at.

Hell, he wasn't even sure if he _was_ pissed off.

"Ollie?" Chloe's was soft with tiredness and he really felt like a jackass.

Did he lie and say he was all good, or be honest and say he wanted to spend the rest of his days in a dark hole?

"I don't know, Sidekick," he said eventually. "I wanna say I'm good, but I'm not. I wanna say I'm not good, but I'm not bad, either."

Her sigh tore at him and that did make him pissed.

She'd woken him up every two hours to check on him and his concussion and now she was having to deal with _this_.

"How's your head?" Pleased when his question got the tiniest hint of a smile.

"Sore," Chloe lightly chuckled. "Be gone once I raid your stash of aspirin."

Oliver couldn't help the responding chuckle. "The petty theft is here to stay, I see."

"I did learn it from the best, so I'm sure it'll be a hard habit to break."

The feel of his lips curling against her jaw did wonders for her worry. "I'm sure we can work through it."

"And you know what else we can work through?"

This time it was his sigh that tore at her. "Not yet, okay, Chloe?" He knew they needed to fully talk about the incident, but just, "Not yet."

He wanted to feel that the world was right before he dealt with the crap it threw, something which made him feel more of an idiot.

She was silent for a moment. "You know," she began. "These shoulders of yours are strong, Oliver. How many people have you carried to safety with them?"

He had no answer.

"And this chest that you take such good care of?" Her hands stroked down over where his heart lay. "Do you know the size of the heart that beats in it? Or these arms that I've seen hold those who are afraid?"

Oliver closed his eyes.

She was doing it again.

Saving him, that was.

How many times was he gonna have to say thank you? When was he gonna be able to return the favour?

Chloe shook her head, an affectionate smile quirked her lips up. "Take me, for instance."

Oliver looked at her then. "You?"

"Yes, me. It's the little things and you don't even realise it half the time, and that makes them a big deal."

"I do those things because I love you."

Her smile got larger and eyebrows arched with meaning. "Glad you understand."

"Ever thought about writing Hallmark cards?" Oliver quipped, feeling lighter than he did a few short minutes ago.

Chloe merely shrugged. "What makes you think I don't?"

Dinah and the incident overshadowed by curiosity, his head tilted to one side as he looked at her. She never seemed to struggle for money and she was pretty good with words... "Do you?"

Another shrug was followed by a warm peck on his cheek. "You hungry? I think we have everything we need for a slap-up breakfast."

Why wasn't she answering him? "Chloe, do you write Hallmark cards?"

Damn woman got out of bed and stretched. "I'm thinking eggs," she stated. "Scrambled and seasoned with paprika for an extra kick. What do you think?"

Oliver scowled. "You're doing this on purpose," he accused. "You're trying to take my mind off things."

Green eyes sparkled. "Is it working?"

Yes. "No."

"Wanna know what happens when you lie, Mr. Queen?" Chloe asked in a way that dared him to find out.

"Go on."

She beamed at him. "You sulk."

Say what?

Horrified, "I do not sulk, Chloe," Oliver told with a finger pointed in her direction.

"Yep and you also pout like this..." and her lower lip pooched out as far as it would go. "So, breakfast? I'll cook."

Oliver tried not to give in, really he did, but it was useless.

He shook his head and treated her to a lopsided grin that came accompanied with two shining brown eyes. "How about you start, I finish?"

"I think that can be arranged."

**XOXOXO**

There were horrible smells, bad smells, good smells, and heavenly smells.

Then there were smells that were currently floating around their kitchen. Sausages, bacon, scrambled egg, mushrooms, hash browns, and of course coffee. On their own, the smells would be delicious, but when combined on a chilly winter's morning?

Nothing on Earth could compare.

It wasn't just the fact that they smelled good, it was the fact of what it stood for.

Their kitchen didn't just feel warm temperature wise, it felt homely warm.

Homes were made when family did things together, like making breakfast or making the bed or doing chores. The mundane tasks of everyday life seemed to leave imprints on places and turn them into a well loved home.

A home Dinah had tried to destroy and Chloe didn't know _why_.

Oliver heard the sigh and he looked to see his woman toying with her coffee cup, a content expression on her face that didn't fool him at all. He knew she was going after Dinah and there was a sick part of him that wanted her to, but...

He knew Chloe better than he knew himself and she would do anything to protect them. Had protected them in ways none of them would probably never know about, but this...

This was different somehow.

It wasn't anything to do with the League, it was personal to him and personal to her.

Could he really let her cross a line just for him?

Was he that selfish?

Oliver bit his lip for a moment. "I can't let you do it, Chloe."

She didn't lift her gaze from the ceramic handle. "Do what?"

"Let you go after her. Can't let you do it, Sidekick. Not for me."

She did lift her gaze at that and he wished she hadn't. "Why not, huh?" She demanded, then her jaw rose defiantly. "You would do it for me."

"That's different," and really, really wished he hadn't said that.

Chloe sat back in the tall chair, legs crossed and green eyes narrowed. "How, exactly, is it different? If you so much as think that because I'm a wom..."

Quick to defence, "No, that's not what I'm implying and I'm insulted you'd think like that."

Her jaw snapped shut, but the anger was still in those irises.

He waited patiently and pointedly until she broke. "Okay, fine. I'm sorry for thinking you were a sexist jerk who was about to spout about the fact that you're a man and supposed to be the protector of all things vaginal."

Oliver sighed. "Not all things vaginal, Chloe. Just... When you said earlier about me having a big heart? There's a heart that's much bigger and much fiercer. To go with that heart is a lightening fast superbrain that's capable of putting together something that could hurt that heart."

Seeing her avert her gaze again, he knew she was taking notice and he went on until he drove home his meaning. "Your heart is what I love about you, Sidekick. You're fierce and loyal, two dangerous combinations when it comes to the people you care about. I won't be the reason for another frown on that beautiful face if you regret anything you might do."

"She deserves it," Chloe snapped. "She... She..." God, she couldn't even say what she had done. "She tried to ruin us, Ollie. Tried to ruin our home."

Oliver swallowed and prepared to do what Chloe herself would do in this situation, what Chloe had done. "Say Bart had done it to you and I was gunning for him. The time I should be spending to help you heal is time spent in Watchtower, planning and replanning an act of vengeance. Say that plan works out and Bart's finished, what then? Spend the rest of our lives trying to avoid talking about it or pretending to move on from something we both knew was wrong, but did anyway?"

His head shook. "We're not going to fall into that, Chloe Sullivan. Not us, because this time I won't let us."

Green eyes became hidden by closed lids. "I can't forget seeing, Ollie."

"Neither can I," he admitted. "I keep feeling her there and I don't want to."

Shame raced through her. "Oh God, Ollie. I haven't been thinking of you, have I? Been doing just what you said. Maybe not conciously, but it's been there at the back of my mind and you're the one that needs and deserves my attention."

His lips twitched a bit. "You saying I'm right?"

Chloe didn't miss a beat. "Shame your cooking isn't as good as your mouth."

Brown eyes widened when a light greyish tinted smoke whirled around his face and smelled strangely of... "Sausages... Damn!"

She laughed long and loud while her boyfriend went into action. His arms were moving at a speed Bart could only hope of matching and the slew of curses were incredibly imaginative.

He glared hell at her over his shoulder as he waved the smoke away with a teatowel. "A little help wouldn't go amiss."

She dabbed the tears from her eyes with the bottom of her pyjama top. "I'd have no entertainment if I did that."

Oliver was not impressed whatsoever. "You'll have no boyfriend if you don't," he mock threatened.

Chloe fought to school her features into something as close to heartbreak as possible. "I could never live without my boyfriend..."

A giggle escaped and his glare intensified, his raised the utensil used to pick up the sausages. "Don't tempt me, woman..."

Green eyes rolled and she jumped down off her chair and moved until she knelt beside him, face tilted up and a smile on her face. "Private Sullivan at your service."

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "Just sort the plates and cutlery while I do... Something with these."

"Burnt or no, they're made with love."

Was it him or did that sound a little Hallmarkish?

Chloe touched his knee just the once and went to remove her hand, but he stopped her and kept her hand there. "Olli..."

Oliver swallowed. "Please don't be afraid to touch me."

Once again, her eyes stung with heat and this time she didn't bother to hide them from him. How could he ever think she'd be afraid to touch him? "I'd never be afraid, Ollie, but you need love and care, not..."

"I need _you_, Chloe. That's all." His eyes lowered as though shamed. "I'd go to bed now if I was sure I don't have... I mean, if I haven't been infected."

Chloe felt her heart stop with that one single word. She hadn't given any thought to STD's at all and it was just another sign of where her true concerns had been laying. "Do you want me to call Emil? You know he won't ask questions."

Oliver wanted to say no, but he knew that in order to ever have sex minus condoms with Chloe ever again, he had to get checked. "After breakfast?"

She nodded. "After breakfast."

**XOXOXO**

Emil Hamilton was having one hell of day.

Trapped between five furious parents and a Santa Claus currently vomiting severel gallons of cheap vodka on his shoes.

"You see, Harold?" One of the mothers shrieked. "You see how drunk he is? It's a disgrace he's allowed around children."

"It's brats like yours that make me drink, you moron," Santa managed to croak between heaves.

There was a pause.

"Harold! Did you hear what that man said about Polly? Harold, do something!"

"Please," Emil tried to calm the situation.

"Yeah, Harold," Santa mimicked as he tried to stand straight. "Do something."

Harold looked to the doctor for help and got another shriek for his trouble.

"I don't why I married you," she huffed loud enough to be heard around the world.

"Harold's probably asking himself that question. Christ, lady. Do you ever shut up? I've got a banging headache, for crying out loud."

"As well you should," another parent snapped, just as angry.

Emil rubbed his temples when the whole lot of them joined in on a session of whose fault it was they were in the hospital at this time of night and this close to Christmas. The drunk Santa, the screaming kids who drove him to drink, or the parents who told their kids they could ask Santa for anything they wanted.

"Alright," he finally snapped when the voices turned high pitched. "All those injured, go check in at reception and all those not go sit with your family in the reception area. You," he grabbed Santa by the collar. "Come with me."

One stomach pump coming up.

"How dare you treat him first! He's the one at fault! Harold, say something!"

Then came a gift from the very Gods themselves.

Emil grabbed his pager before the vibrating ended and the beeping came. Thank you, Chloe Sullivan, thank you.

His relief faded when he saw the numbers 911 on the screen. "Excuse me. It's an emergency."

"You're just going to leave us? What are we supposed to do?"

Emil grabbed a passing nurse. "These people need medical attention and Santa needs a stomach pump," before he fled for the safety of whatever injury the team had gotten themselves.

**XOXOXO**

Chloe and Oliver pulled up in front of Emil's private practice and stayed sat in the car for a short while, doing nothing but enjoying the comfortable silence.

"So," she began and offered up her best, most supportive smile.

"Yep," he sighed, trying for a smile of his own, but failed.

He looked out the window at Emil's place and let his head flop against the head rest. "What if she has given me somethin, Sidekick? What do we do then?"

"Then we deal with it," she stated firmly. "We will."

"What if it's something that can't be..."

Chloe took a deep breath. "The chances of that are slim to none, Ollie. Not if she only used her mouth."

She paused. "Did she only use her..."

Oliver looked at her, his expression caught between suspicion and hurt. "I said she did."

Quick to reassure him, "I didn't mean it like that, baby. Honest. I just meant you might be hiding more because you wouldn't want to hurt me."

He shook his head. "Sorry I thought you implied otherwise, Chloe. I know you believe me and you trust me, but... I don't know how to explain. Just my head is all over the place and..."

"No, you don't have to explain to me. If you told me the world was a round floating ball in space, I'd believe you. If you told me you were friends with a guy who could make friends with Jaws, I'd believe you."

Oliver arched a brow. "The world is a floating ball in space and I am friends with a guy who can make friends with Jaws."

"That's why I'd believe you because while you may bend the truth for my benefit now and then, but you don't lie to me."

"You ever go into business of making people feel better? I'm your first investor."

Her soft smile turned into the smile he loved. Ear to ear, tongue trapped between teeth and just so Chloe. "You ever make your own cards? I'm your first rhymer."

"I'll keep it in mind if you will."

Still beaming, "Deal."

Oliver gave his head a damn good shake. "Right. Let's go."

"Right."

They didn't move.

"Is it wrong to not wanna know?"

"If I say yes, will it get us out of the car?"

His lips twitched. "You can try it."

"Okay, then yes. Yes it's wrong to not wanna know."

"Slave driver," he murmured as he reached over to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "The quicker we get this done, the quicker we can go back to normal."

Chloe frowned. "You're normal now."

"Oh, you mean the normal day to day stuff like crazy ass sociopaths trying to use the world for their own amusement?"

"Yep."

Chloe shrugged. "Works for me, now for the last time," she exaggerated. "Can we please get out of the car?"

"If we must."

She watched as he didn't make the slightest effort to move. "Ollie!"

Her whining was stopped by his chuckles and he held up hands. "Sorry, sorry," he said, his shoulders shaking slightly as he unbuckled the seat belt and opened the door.

Satisfied he wasn't toying with her, Chloe copied his movements until they were walking into Emil's office, tensing the closer they got.

The doctor himself greeted them before they got to knock and he gave them a cursory once-over that naturally to him. No broken brones or contusions, but there were two mild ligature marks on Oliver's wrists.

The doctor himself greeted them before they got to knock and he gave them a cursory once-over that came naturally to him.

No broken brones or contusions, but there were two mild ligature marks on Oliver's wrists. Chloe, on the other hand, seemed fine.

Emil sighed. Looked like Green Arrow had gotten himself into a spot of trouble last night.

"Please, come in," he smiled at the woman. "There's coffee ready and waiting."

"You really are a life saver, Hamilton," and squeezed Oliver's hand, ready to give him some privacy.

"Can you stay?" He asked, his voice cracked a little.

"Of course I can stay."

They followed the doctor through to am examination that was strangely like a home away from home.

"Weird," Oliver said and tilted his head to one side.

Chloe heartily agreed. "Tell me about it."

Emil waited patiently for one of them to tell him why he was called in, but when no explanation came, he approached with caution. "What's the problem?"

Oliver flexed his fingers around Chloe's as he tried to find the words he needed for the doctor to do his job. "I, uh, there's some tests you have to do."

Emil didn't bat an eye. "Okay, we'll take some blood first and then..."

"Not those kind of tests, doc," the blonde quietly said. "Other tests. Ones to check for infections."

Infections?

Oh.

Again, Emil didn't bat an eye. "Of course. You'll need to undress and put on a gown."

Oliver briefly nodded and he started to have second thoughts about Chloe staying. It was bad enough she had to see him last night, worse still that she had to wash him last night. He didn't need to put her through it again.

"If you want me to go, I will," Chloe told him. "No offence taken."

The jackass feeling back in spades.

He'd asked her to come with him and here he was changing his mind about wanting her to stay.

"You don't mind?"

Her expression said it all. "Call me when you're done, handsome," and after a quick squeeze of his arm, she was gone and he was alone.

**XOXOXO**

Damn gowns, Oliver thought with a scowl as he walked towards the small bathroom.

"Ollie?" Emil's voice stopped him in his tracks. "I'll need to take a swab first."

The billionaire faced the doctor, his scowl firmly in place. "I'd rather do the pee one first. It burns after that one."

"If you urinate first, it will wash away the bugs."

Oliver arched a brow. "If I pee and the bugs get washed away, I won't need the swab." It wouldn't, he knew, but it was worth a shot. A swab from _there_ was not pleasent whatsoever.

Emil sighed.

Green Arrow or no, the man could be such a damn patient when he wanted to be.

"Would you rather I call Chloe back here so she can take the swab?"

Chloe could operate on a laptop or computer with the delicacy and precision of a world class brain surgeon, but he'd seen her cut bread and it wasn't pretty.

"No, thank you," Oliver responded dryly as he moved to the bed and tried to ignore how the gown made him itch.

Emil had to hide his grin.

Arrow was such a tough guy out there on the streets, but when it came to his lady? He was just a man.

Terrified.

The doctor quietly chuckled as he thought of poor Harold.

Two totally different men, yet in similar situations.

One was to scared to speak and the other too scared not to.

Emil coughed to hide his smile and found it was easier to do than he thought. There was a reason Oliver needed these tests done and he couldn't help wondering if he'd be doing them for Chloe next.

He knew how they were together.

Openly affectionate, passionate, very much in love.

He had a feeling it was probably a standard case of thrush that Chloe picked up after wearing tight jeans to attract her lover's attention.

Knowing Queen as he did, he could imagine the words your germs are my germs, thus resulting in a visit for a quick round of tests.

It didn't, however, explain the urgency or Oliver's quiet demeanor and tension and Chloe being sent away.

Come to think of it, nothing explained Oliver's quiet demeanor and his asking if Chloe wouldn't mind leaving.

Emil quickly wiped away his frown before he turned back to his patient. "This might sting..."

"Save it," Oliver snapped, scowl more of a glare. "I didn't cheat on her if that's what you're thinking."

"I wasn't thinking that," the doctor said and his frown returned.

When had Oliver Queen ever been paranoid about what someone was thinking where his relationship was concerned?

The billionaire laughed a bitter laugh. "Right. Course not. Just thinking of why I'm in here needing to be tested for STD's and Chloe isn't."

Emil started a mental notepad of the varied emotions his friend was displaying. So far Oliver was uncharacteristically withdrawn, paranoid, angry, and humiliated.

If he didn't know better, he'd swear Oliver had been...

"Ollie?" Emil approached the bed the other man now lay on. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Then he watched the muscles in Oliver's jaw work overtime.

"Do you need to know for this?"

"It would help me, yes," Emil honestly said. "It might also help me put your mind at rest if you're worrying about things you shouldn't."

Oliver blew out a deep breath and confided in his friend.

**XOXOXO**

No sooner had Chloe stepped back outside when a myriad of emotions began to tip her over the edge. Guilt, anger, confusion, despair...

All of them warred for dominance and she had to force herself to stay calm long enough to get in the car before she broke down.

Door opened and she got in, her hands wrapped tight around the steering wheel and harsh breathing started to hurt her lungs. She deeply inhaled, only stopping when her head spun from it and it was just too much.

While Ollie had been going through hell, she'd been out drinking and not giving a crap.

She was Watchtower.

Watchtower meant she was supposed to look out for her team, not be out drinking and partying while leaving one of them to get assaulted.

Chloe took a hold of her hair and pulled hard as her eyes filled up to spilling point and God, God, God. She was hurt, she was so damn hurt, it was unreal.

She thought back to the very first time something hurt and remembered being left at the dance while Clark left to go save Lana. At the time, it'd felt like her heart had been ripped out and following that, both Clark and Lana had blatantly lied to her face about their relationship. Jimmy had pretty much ditched her for Kara and that had hurt, but not half as much as when he'd said she was his biggest mistake.

Now, she knew, she'd trade any one of those for what she felt today. She'd trade a damn heartbeat.

This was the kind of hurt that went soul deep and no amount of hugs, kisses or whatever could fix it. Hell, time couldn't fix this because it would always be there, deep inside and she knew she'd remember this for the rest of her life.

She'd remember how Oliver was last night, having to wake him every two hours, soothing, holding, swearing she'd never leave. She'd remember his shame, his humiliation, as he'd averted his gaze when she'd cleaned him up.

Steering wheels were surprisingly hard against fists she realised, the ache spreading through her hands more than welcome. She hit again and again and again, not stopping until redness appeared and palms had a tingling numbness that probably meant swelling was on the way.

God, if Oliver saw her hands, he would know she got upset and withdraw into himself. He'd feel like total crap if he knew how she felt.

She had to be strong for him and not acting like she was.

Chloe tried to wipe her tears away, but they just kept falling as the anger kept rising and she just could not stop.

Oliver had been beaten, stabbed, poisoned, publically humiliated as both a Queen and a hero. How dare that... that woman go into their home and do something so horrible?

How dare she make such a man feel like nothing?

What gave her the damn right to try and take what she wanted when it already belonged to someone else?

No, that was wrong.

Oliver Queen belonged to Oliver Queen, not Chloe Sullivan or anyone else.

He was not a piece of meat or a toy to be fought over. He was a man of his own and deserved to be respected as that man. He deserved to respect himself for being that man and what she did took that away.

"I hate you for this," Chloe managed between gasps.

Hated her for putting Oliver in the position of needing his pieces picked up yet again, hated her for being put in the position of picking up the pieces yet again. No doubt Oliver would be thinking the same thing.

Chloe let the tears fall, but swallowed back the hurt and focused on Emil's office. Oliver didn't want her to do anything she might regret, but how could she do nothing?

How could she?

Simple fact was she couldn't.

She needed to do something without doing anything.

To think, she needed to think like the team, take a step back and look at things from the League's perspective and to do that, she needed a Watchtower.

Chloe closed her eyes and tried to find her place, the place Oliver told her to find when she felt frustrated that things weren't going the way she planned and it was right there.

The Watchtower.

Surrounded by nothing that could hurt or control, something that answered her every command, something that personified who she was and what she had become. She could watch them all silently, be there, keep them safe, made her feel good.

She heard the low noise of the powerful computer, heard the drip drip drip of her coffee machine, saw how small the people and traffic looked from out the window, felt the heat of the recognition in the elevator.

More than that.

It was the base, the head quarters for them all, the meeting place for congratulations on a job well done.

Watchtower wasn't just her, it was all of them together, where they could be who they were with no judgement or recrimination.

Her place was with the team and it was the team she needed to be her Watchtower this time.

Chloe wiped the last of her tears away as she opened her eyes, her right hand slipped slowly and calmly got her cellphone out of her purse, her thumb pressed 7 on speed dial and waited for an answer. "Tower to Cyborg, do you copy?"

"_Copy that, Watchtower_."

"Dig anything and everything you can on Black Canary. I repeat, everything. ETA one hour. Watchtower out."

"_Cyborg out_."

Chloe smiled as she hung up.

All she needed now was a time and a place.

Again, she thought like the team and knew it had to be somewhere neutral for it to be done. A place where Canary couldn't use her power, a place where she'd be afraid of being discovered for not only her power, but also for what she'd done to Oliver.

That's if she cared about what she'd done to Oliver, something which Chloe highly doubted.

Fingernails sounded as they tap tap tapped against the steering wheel, a physical sign of her brain working overtime. She needed something, somewhere that Lance couldn't quickly escape from and in order to create an inescapable place, she needed the team.

Chloe hated herself for not having Zatanna on speed dial and vowed to wipe Clark from number 5 and the take out places from numbers 2 and 3.

"Watchtower to Copperfield, do you copy?"

"_Must you_?"

"ETA Watchtower in one hour. Do you copy?"

"_Copy, me out_."

Any other time and she would have laughed at Zatanna's refusal to use her nickname, but right now she just couldn't find humour in anything. Well, except for her nice and neat plan to show Miss. Lance just what the Justice League did when one of their own turned into the bad guy.

Chloe wiped her eyes before she searched for a tissue as she wondered why crying left runny noses in its wake.

Her cellphone ringing sharply put a stop to her search and damn it all to hell. The ID was Ollie and he was probably calling to tell her he was ready to be picked up. No way could she get away with hiding her hissy fit, not with how she sounded.

She swallowed as she answered. "Hey, honey. You done?" God, he was gonna know she'd had a breakdown.

There was no immediate answer and Chloe just knew Oliver was worrying. "I'm ready, Tower."

She wanted to tell him not to call her Tower, because she'd shamed that name. "I'm right outside, Ollie. Just come out."

His answer was to hang up and were there anymore Gods for her to ask for help? She didn't think so and used her sleeves to finish drying her eyes. Any second now, Oliver was going to come out of Emil's and find her looking a total mess.

Chloe grabbed her purse and rooted through it in the hope she had some form of make-up that would hide her face. "Let there be something," and kept rummaging, but found nothing but mascara and lipgloss, which wouldn't do anything to hide the red blotches on her cheeks.

It was too late, she knew, as Oliver pretty much jogged out of the building and God, she saw him pause and his eyes widen right before he sprinted to the car. The door was open and she was pulled out and pulled close to his chest.

He rocked her then.

Arms tight around her, no word said when her hands beat his back, didn't argue when she threatened death.

He did nothing except hold her until she stood there, enveloped by him and hiccups muffled by his chest.

"ETA Watchtower in an hour, Arrow," Chloe mumbled as she pushed away from him.

"Something up?" Oliver asked, not once letting go of her.

"Yes and it's not something I'll regret."

Okay, so maybe he was that selfish. "What's your plan?"

Chloe sniffed four or five times before she spoke. "You and me? Public. Living together, marriage, kids... The works. We're gonna make a success of us, Ollie. We're gonna throw ourselves to the wolves."

Oliver choked on a laugh. "So much for my New Year's proposal plan. And Dinah?"

"Dinah Lance will get her own proposal, Arrow. That I promise."


End file.
